The story of a man whose bid to give up smoking saved his family from poisoning could be made into a soap opera plot.

Doctors, shown for half-an-hour on BBC1 every day, is researching a storyline about a man whose lung tests lead him to discover his house was full of poisonous carbon monoxide.

BBC staff read an article in The Argus last December about how a clinic testing Mark Brown's lungs discovered his boiler was leaking potentially lethal gas into his semi-detached council home.

Researchers decided to find out more so they could put it to scriptwriters as a potential ratings winner.

BBC researcher Sarah Short phoned Marian Cullwick, the nurse who helped Mr Brown to quit smoking and who probably saved his life.

She said: "They asked me more details about what happened.

"I think it's good people have taken note and hopefully more people will think it's not a bad idea to get their carbon monoxide levels checked."

Mr Brown, 36, of Whitehawk Crescent, Brighton, was attending an NHS stop smoking clinic to quit his 30-a-day habit when a carbon monoxide reading suggested he was still puffing.

When Mr Brown insisted he had not touched a cigarette, specialist nurse Marian Cullwick decided to believe him and investigate further.

She asked him when he had last had his gas central heating tested and then realised that Mr Brown, his wife and four children, aged nine to 17, were in danger.

Emergency engineers were called out within 20 minutes and shut down his boiler.

Checks revealed the carbon monoxide readings inside were almost off the scale.

Mr Brown said: "I'm happy for them to use the story if it gets the message across. It would be funny.

"I don't really watch it to be honest but I'd tune in to this one.

"It seems to be a common thing these days.

"Since it happened to us, they have been advertising on television to get people to check their boilers."

The storyline will now go to a panel who will decide whether to use it as a basis for a plot.